The 19 Hand Family
by OfficialBacon
Summary: When Twilight is called to Canterlot for a mysterious assignment by Celestia, she expects anything but what she gets. She'll receive more than just knowledge over the next week, and what she learns may change her views of her mentor, her own abilities, and even the land of Equestria itself.
1. Chapter 1

Twilight was, in the smallest possible amount of words, confused. She had been called by Celestia on a matter of some urgency into Canterlot, but the Princess had also been instructed to come alone. Now, after two hours sitting in the throne room with Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, she was beginning to consider the possibility that her mentor had called her here for no reason other than a practical joke.

She stood, stretching for a moment, and then glanced over at the two sisters, both of whom were still just barely moving at all, occasionally flattening a spot on their immaculate manes. Twilight sighed almost inaudibly and sat back down, but her boredom was interrupted by a trumpet blast sounding just outside the doors. She looked over at the three older Princesses, and seeing that they had genuinely happy smiles on their faces, her curiosity began to grow. The doors swung open, revealing the royal trumpeter (a bit of an unnecessary title, in her opinion), who stepped in and began to announce the news.

"Presenting: The Honorable Prince of the Earth, Terra!" Twilight's eyes bulged and she looked back at the three elder Alicorns, who were both now well out of their seats and were in fact halfway across the room by the time Twilight had gained her footing to follow them.

She stopped cold behind them as a truly massive pony stepped through the doors, his silhouette casting a shadow almost twice as big as Celestia's. His coat was a dusty tan color, not unlike well-baked clay. It shimmered, like his sisters' coats, giving him an air of majesty even more than his sheer size. His mane and tail, unlike Celestia's and Luna's, did not flow effortlessly on the air, but instead were cut short. His mane came only a foot off of his head, and was a shockingly dark green with deep blue accents, the same as his tail, which came down only to about two feet above his fetlocks.

Despite all these unique features, easily the most impressive testament to his power was the massive set of muscles he was possessed of. His build reminded her of a show she had seen once, where a single pony had lifted four tons with nothing but his hind legs, then tossed the weight into the air and caught it on his front hooves. In a word, he could have been called mountainous.

The impressive air surrounding him was almost shattered as all three of the eldest Alicorn Princesses tackled him with hugs, the four of them becoming a pile of warmth and happiness. He grinned softly, hugging them all back in his gargantuan embrace. Celestia, after a few moments in this group hug, peeled herself off of him and stepped back, looking him up and down as he spoke to Luna, stepping away from the group entirely.

"Luna...words cannot express my joy at seeing you again. A full millennium..." Luna grinned, tearing up a bit with happiness as she leapt back into Terra's embrace.

"I have missed you greatly as well, Terra. I only wish I had had the foresight to not allow such a travesty to begin with." Terra pulled her away from his chest, shaking his head.

"Blame has been placed upon you for far too long. Anypony in Equestria will give the same answer when asked of Princess Luna. She is kind, loving, and gentle. The only exception, of course, being Nightmare Night." Luna blushed and chuckled a bit as Terra's attention turned to Cadence, who seemed to have been waiting on this moment for some time. The royal air simply melted from his expression at the sight of her and changed into a familiar look. Twilight knew that look from somewhere, but she was too shocked by all of this to recall it properly. "It has been far too long, my lovely little princess."

This particular behavior struck Twilight as odd, considering she was Cadence's sister-in-law. Her loyalty to her brother took over for a moment and she stepped forward, attempting to speak to the newcomer for the first time.

"Excuse me, Prince Terra?" The new Alicorn stepped away from Cadence to look upon Twilight, turning his head just slightly to the side.

"This must be the famous Twilight Sparkle I've heard so much about. I knew she was good, but to be an Alicorn at such a young age...you've outdone yourself, 'Tia." The massive pony lowered his head to Twilight, a gesture which she returned quickly and straightened up again, starting her question a second time.

"I'm very sorry, Prince Terra. It's just that...I never knew there were any other Alicorns in Equestria. I certainly didn't know that any stallions were Alicorns." Terra laughed, a booming sound that echoed jovially through the room.

"Oh, of course there are. Who did you think Cadenza's father was?" Twilight's jaw dropped as the impact of the statement hit her, and she glanced back and forth between her sister-in-law and this gargantuan, commanding mass of pony that stood before her.

"Wait...what?" He chuckled at her disbelief and turned to one side, gesturing to Celestia and Luna.

"Well, you already knew my daughter was their niece. How far of a jump is it to make?" Twilight's mouth fell open even wider, leaving her gaping and gasping for air.

"Wh...Wait...You mean..." Terra stepped back a few paces, wrapping an arm around Celestia and Luna.

"Yes, Princess Sparkle. These are my dear sisters." As Twilight attempted desperately to wrap her head around this prospect, Terra turned back to Celestia. "She's taking it well, wouldn't you say?" The Princess of the Sun chuckled at her student's stupor, but her brother continued. "And with that in mind, my own protege should be arriving very soon. I left him a few hours behind to deal with some lake deity that was demanding sacrifices. He should be along any moment now." Terra glanced around the room, one eyebrow raised. "Speaking of absent ponies, where is Astrum?" Luna started, having some insight into the issue at hand.

"He said he'd be just a bit late. He says that a few of his charges were recently seen to be moving to unauthorized locations, so he had to change his normal route." Terra nodded.

"I can relate. Here's something for you: did you know that Duniac Rock Snakes have been working their way up from Saddle Arabia? I actually ended up riding one a decent portion of the way here. Taming them is quite a trick, let me tell you. You have to actually pour lemon juice onto their skin, which isn't easy to get at through almost fourteen inches of scales. Then the only way to steer them is to hold a bottle of milk right out in front of them. They'll chase after the milk as a cure to the irritation from the lemon juice for days, even weeks."

By now, Twilight had regained her power of speech. She stepped cautiously up to the group, gulping once before she spoke again. Terra turned to her, one eyebrow raised and one corner of his lips raised.

"Sir...you're Celestia's brother?" He chuckled lightly.

"Luna's as well, young lady. To be frank, I'm surprised they never informed you of my existence." She continued, her voice just a bit shaky.

"Then...that makes you my uncle in-law?" He thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

"I suppose it does. But let's save celebrations for when your other uncle gets here." Twilight took an exasperated breath, but before she could voice her confusion the entire castle began to rumble. Terra turned about, smiling knowingly. "That would be my apprentice."

They all trotted over to the window, and as they glanced out the Princesses' jaws dropped. Outside the window there lay a gigantic worm/snake hybrid, huge enough to wrap twice around the entire mountain on which the city sat. The creature seemed completely dormant, and on top of it stood a single pony, a mere speck from their vantage point. He lifted one hoof, waving it in greeting, then leaned forward and placed something white and bottle-shaped into the massive creature's gaping maw before sliding off and starting toward the castle at a gallop.

Terra chuckled as they stepped away and the three females stared incredulously at him. "I guess he found himself a ride as well. I'll have to talk to him about bringing the Dunian Snakes this far north, though." Terra strolled over to the other side of the room, followed after a few seconds by his sisters. "He's an enigma, truly. Never in all my travels have I met anypony with his level of strength or skill. He has the capacity to be legendary, but his lack of confidence is a devastating detriment." Just as Terra finished speaking, the doors swung open once again, and this time in their opening stood an underwhelmingly small Earth pony.

He was a lime green in color, with a bubblegum pink mane and a uniquely toned body that was entirely covered from the neck down by a fully black bodysuit. Every inch of his body was outlined perfectly through the material, illustrating just how tight the clothing was. He stepped forward, bowing to both Celestia and Luna, then turning to Terra and Twilight and repeating the motion. "My apologies, sir. I ran across a pack of Dunians on my way up here, and I only just managed to separate the alpha from the group. Without him, they'll likely head back down south." Terra nodded, stepping out from between his apprentice and the group of Princesses.

"I'd like to introduce my protege of two years now, Fighting Might. Might, I'm sure you know my sisters and my niece." Fighting Might nodded to the group of them, smiling just slightly.

"It's truly an honor to meet you all. I can't tell you how much I've been looking forward to this visit." Twilight nodded back, unsure of what to say. All she could really focus on was how short he was. She tried her best not to smile, but her humorous mood was quickly changed when, on his way toward her, Fighting Might's hoof sunk into the solid marble floor accidentally. He cringed, trying to withdraw it carefully, but marble dust and chips scattered in every direction. Twilight resolved then and there not to trifle with this pony in the slightest, and so was left speechless as he approached a bit more cautiously to avoid crushing any more floors.

Luckily, Fighting Might seemed to have her speechlessness covered with his own shock. "Pardon me, milady, but are you not Princess Twilight Sparkle? Bearer of the Element of Magic?" She nodded, somewhat proud that her name was so well known. "Tell me, aren't you friends with Pinkamena Pie?" She raised an eyebrow curiously, answering the question more to see where this was going than for anything else.

"Yes, we're actually very good friends. Why?" He gave a light grin.

"Just asking. I did a lot of my training at the Pie family rock farm, so if she was around I was going to let her know how her family was doi-" He stopped cold, spinning around to Cadence and narrowing his eyes. He took a quick step forward, then turned around again, facing Terra now. "Sir, I know you're much more adept than me at this, but...have you noticed a secondary magical presence?" Terra pursed his lips, smirking at his student.

"Only a few seconds ago. You're getting much faster at this, Might. Now, can you tell me what that might be?" Fighting Might looked around, his ears twitching about on top of his head.

"It's...small. Just barely detectable in a room full of Alicorns, but..." He turned once again to Cadence. "Just as I originally thought, it's definitely coming from Princess Mi Amore. I can't identify it, though." Terra's smirk grew rapidly into a grin as he approached his daughter, dwarfing her utterly with his massive body.

"I didn't expect you to. You're skilled, Might, but you're not incredibly experienced. No, this is something you haven't seen yet." He stepped alongside his daughter, placing an ear to the top of her ribs and showing a few teeth in his smile.

"What is it, then?" Terra lifted his head, wrapping one arm around his daughter and smiling at Fighting Might.

"It would seem that I'm going to be a grandfather." Fighting Might's mouth dropped open in happy shock.

"Incredible, sir! Congratulations, to both of you!" Cadence blushed, grinning somewhat shyly as her father turned back to her.

"Now, if I may ask...who is the VERY lucky stallion?" Fighting Might's smile dropped into a look of concern almost immediately at the tone of his mentor's voice. Cadence and Twilight both started simultaneously, but after a few seconds of word-mingling Twilight backed off, allowing Cadence to fill her father in.

"He's a former captain of Celestia's royal guard and Twilight's brother. His name is Shining Armor, and we happen to be married and quite thoroughly in love." She listed off the last item with a bit of a proud flourish. Terra's eyes narrowed.

"I must say, Cadence, you certainly have a knack for picking the most interesting routes of life. First, you became an Alicorn, next you became Princess of Love, now you've married the brother of the Princess of Friendship, who does not share your immortality. Quite a risky business, this. I would know." Cadence glanced at the ground in an odd mixture of shock and shame, but her father quickly placed a hoof under her chin and lifted her head back up to meet his eyes. "I didn't say any of it was wrong. Tell me, how long have you been married?" She blinked a few forming tears away and began to smile just slightly.

"Almost three years." He nodded approvingly.

"And does he make you happy?" She nodded without hesitation, and Terra released her chin with a warm smile on his face. "Then I won't say another word about it. Immortal or not, Alicorn or not, the memories that we make are all we'll ever have when the rest of it falls apart. It took me a long time to come to grips with that, and I'm glad you've come to the understanding before anything drastic happens." There was silence for a few moments as they all considered this.

The silence was broken quickly, though, by a massive shaking that lasted a mere five seconds and was over as quickly as it had started. Terra spun about, facing the door with a grin on his face. The door swung open quickly, smoke rolling in from the outside dramatically. Two figures stepped through it, one just a bit smaller than the other.

As they came through, one was revealed to be another Alicorn, white in color with black spots all across his mane and coat. The mere sight of him was almost blinding, and the only thing that kept all onlookers from seeing spots was the distraction of the smaller unicorn next to him. He was solid gray in color, wearing a pair of dark sunglasses and smiling confidently around the room. He knelt quickly to the royalty in the room and Terra glanced over at Twilight.

"Princess, allow me introduce your other uncle." He gestured with a glance to the white Alicorn. "My brother, Astrum."

 **So, this is a new story...yeah. I have to be honest, this one has been in the works for longer than any other story I've done since ever. I'm that guy who has to make the connection with Cadence, since we already know Celestia and Luna are her aunts. Personally, this is one of very few occasions where I simply don't care if it's canon or not. Cadence is related to Celestia through her father Terra, and yes, there are two male Alicorns. If you want to take a wild guess as to what Astrum's job is, feel free to leave a review. I'm guessing it's not difficult to figure out, but swing for it anyway.**

 **Well, I'm done ranting. Feel free to leave a review, I'm OfficialBacon, and I'll see you in the next one.**


	2. Chapter 2

Astrum stepped into the room, greeted by bows from both Twilight and Fighting Might, but he simply set a course toward Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and Terra. He reached toward them, embracing them all in a single hug. Twilight glanced in utter awe at the family, the strongest beings in Equestria, simply hugging as a family. Celestia glanced at Twilight over the shoulder of Luna and gave a quick nod toward an open spot in the circle. Twilight, somewhat shakily, stepped forward and into the circle, almost expecting to be tossed back, but Terra and Celestia gladly scooped her into the group hug. She snuggled up against the five other warm bodies, enjoying the sheer warmth and happiness present in this little circle of perfection.

Slowly, somewhat reluctantly, the group split apart and stepped back. Astrum glanced back and forth around his family. "It has been too long, has it not?" They all nodded and Astrum turned to Luna, tilting his head just slightly to the side and grinning a bit wider. "Especially in your case, Luna. I can only hope to make this millennium up to you over the next few days, as there are simply not enough words to describe how sorry I am for such a loss of time." They were all silent for a moment until Luna shook her head without replying, unable to speak through the tears of that familiar, yet odd mixture of joy and sadness.

Granted a quick break in the silence by Luna's sniffles, Astrum gestured over his shoulder toward his companion, who was now walking up to the group. "I'd like to introduce my student, Magic Mind." They all nodded to the unicorn, who had now taken off his sunglasses and placed them atop his head. "Also, unless I am terribly mistaken..." He glanced over to Cadence, one eyebrow raised. "I am in the process of becoming an uncle, am I correct?" The Princess of Love nodded somewhat sheepishly, but Celestia stepped in after a moment.

"Actually, Astrum, you already are an uncle. Allow me to introduce my student, Princess Twilight Sparkle." Twilight blushed under Astrum's gaze, which was averted after a few moments with an approving nod.

"A fine pupil, I must say. She bears numerous marks, including that of the Element of Magic as well as those of repeated exposure to Chaos magic. I assume Discord broke loose during our absence?" Celestia and Luna both nodded. "That seemed to be the most reasonable solution. I only regret that I was not here to assist you with him." Twilight was reminded of a question she had been dying to ask for a while now, and took advantage to the brief pause to do just that.

"I was actually going to ask about that, sir. If you and Terra are the Princes of Equestria, where have you been for so long?" Astrum frowned, obviously reluctant to answer, but Terra stepped in for him.

"Our roles as Princes take different meanings than what you may be accustomed to. My role as the Prince of the Earth is primarily that of a caretaker. Our nation is possessed of many great evils, to be sure, but it is my duty to seek out those that go beyond even our boundaries and ensure they do not harm anypony. This is why I have been unable to come back to assist with Discord or Tirek, whom I couldn't help but notice has also made an appearance during my absence." Twilight, despite her best efforts, couldn't help but get a bit nettled at this.

"But why? Could you not stay and protect your own people, if these dangers are so important?" Terra's usual smile faded, and he looked on her with an expression of deep thought, as if considering how to best explain this to her.

"Twilight, you have seen Discord. Done battle with him, I'm sure." She nodded, and he nodded in return. "Now, imagine an entire army of creatures with his power, if not more. Each and every one of them willing to plunder and utterly raze whatever they come across, including the entirety of Equestria." Her jaw dropped at the prospect. "That, Twilight, is why I cannot stay here. That is what Fighting Might and myself protect this country from, years at a time." She gulped audibly, for two reasons. Not only had she begun to understand the strength of her new family, but every eye in the room was on her. Even so, her curiosity had to be sated.

"W-well...why have you returned, then?" They all chuckled, and Terra wrapped an arm around Luna.

"Tell me, could you go a hundred years without seeing your family?" Twilight looked down, trying to imagine such a fate. Terra rubbed the top of her head, his smile reforming. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out. Nopony ever said being an Alicorn was easy, but it's what your destiny has for you." Astrum glanced sidelong at his brother and piped up.

"Of course, in the spirit of kindness, my good brother has elected not to list the secondary reason we come back here once every century." They all glared at him, but he simply shrugged and eyed all of them in turn. "Well, if she's going to be a Princess, she had best know all the duties that come with the job. Magic Mind has known about this for almost a year now, and he's doing just fine." He turned back to Twilight, continuing his explanation. "Once in every hundred years, a creature comes to Equestria from some world beyond our own. We know it only as the Worldshaker, and every time it comes it takes a different form. We gather together because is seems perpetually intent on destroying our world, and it requires the strength of all of us to keep it at bay. We always gather a week before its arrival to enjoy a bit of time with one another before the battle comes and we must go our own ways again, and that is why we are standing here now." Twilight glanced at the ground, somewhat depressed and partially terrified.

"What...how much don't I know?" Celestia lifted Twilight's chin with her magic, smiling warmly into her student's face.

"Trust me, Twilight. You wouldn't have become an Alicorn if you couldn't handle things like this. Just don't worry, and enjoy the next week alongside us, why don't you?" Twilight grinned just slightly, nodding. Terra clapped a hoof to the ground, his voice bellowing through the hall.

"And with that, I'm starving. Anypony else ready to head into town and grab something incredibly unhealthy to eat?" They all laughed and stepped out the main entrance together.

…

The group strolled through Canterlot, attracting looks from every last pony on the street. They joked and laughed, occasionally shoving one another back and forth like they were just colts and fillies again. Twilight couldn't help but gaze in awe at the figures of power simply existing as normal ponies.

She watched as Terra gestured over to a large building on one side of the street, and they all lay a course for it. Twilight couldn't recognize the establishment, but she followed quickly, curious about where this was going.

They all stepped through into the building, trying not to attract attention, but to no avail. It was a karaoke pub, and even as crowded as it was, everypony in the building knelt at the entrance of the royal family. After a few seconds, the musicians resumed, and there was a bit of peace as the family slid into a corner table. Terra took a deep breath, leaning his head back all the way in the plush seat. It was only a few moments before the waiter arrived, looking a bit shaky.

"S-s-so...what can I get for you all to-today?" Celestia was the first one to place an order, with so much certainty that it shocked Twilight back in her seat a little bit.

"I'll have a Manehattan Brew, Gold Label." Astrum placed a hoof flat on the table.

"I'll have a StarBlaze, tall." Twilight raised an eyebrow, realizing she had never even heard of either of those drinks before. Terra leaned in next to the waiter, whispering something in his ear. The young stallion's eyes bulged and he nodded, stepping back and glancing over to Cadence.

"Just a tea for me, please." He continued going around the table, collecting orders from Luna (a jar of moonshine), Magic Mind (a glass of rum with a shot of some syrupy substance), and another tea for Fighting Might. Finally, he got to Twilight, and she simply said the first thing that came to mind.

"Um...Apple cider?" Terra did his best to suppress a smile as Celestia leaned over to whisper in her student's ear.

"I might suggest Sweet Apple's Barrel 34." Twilight nodded subtly and looked back up at the waiter.

"I'll have a Sweet Apple's Barrel 34." Her mind flashed back to Astrum's order, and just to add an extra flourish she continued briefly. "Tall." The waiter continued jotting down the order, looked around the table, and nodded, walking off with his notepad.

Now Celestia's attention turned to Fighting Might, who seemed preoccupied with something off toward the center of the room. When the Solar Princess cleared her throat audibly, however, his attention jerked back to the table and she began to speak. "So, Fighting Might...how old are you?" He refocused his attention and answered the question promptly.

"Twenty-one this year, ma'am." She tilted her head to the side just slightly, one corner of her mouth raising in a half smile.

"Then I assume you realize your drink options are no longer limited." He nodded, his expression changing to one of embarrassment.

"I do, but I assure you, there is a reason for my sobriety. You see...the last time I actually had any alcohol...I blacked out. When I woke up, the town I was inhabiting at the time had been nearly leveled, and Terra had regained consciousness at almost the same time with a massive bruise on his head. I'm never sure what happens when I drink, but it never ends well for the surrounding area, so I just avoid alcohol as a general rule." They were all silent for a moment, regarding this strange pony, until Twilight spoke up.

"By the way, Fighting Might, what does your Cutie Mark look like? I can't really see it under that suit." She decided not to voice her other thoughts. _"I can see almost everything else under there, though."_ He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again and leaned on one elbow.

"Well, describing it isn't easy. Here, let me draw it for you." He reached over, grabbing a napkin and a pencil out of a jar a few tables down. On the napkin he quickly scribbled a seven, an ellipse, and an eight. "I've been trying to figure out exactly what it means for a while." Magic Mind leaned forward, examining the napkin closely.

"I know what it means." They all glanced over to him, eyebrows up. "It's related to a really, really old proverb from an ancient civilization. The actual saying is 'fall seven times, get up eight.' It's an interesting mark, but I'm curious as to how you ended up with it." Fighting Might leaned back from the table, silent. Terra chuckled, speaking in his student's place.

"Fighting Might used to be a bit of a pushover, up until about two days after I met him. He spent sixteen hours a day working between the back fields of the Pie Rock Farm and the West Mareginia Coal Mines, and whenever he wasn't working, he was either running between jobs or getting knocked around by the older miners. He developed a bit of-" Terra was silenced as Fighting Might audibly kicked his chair backwards and headed off toward the restrooms. "Well, suffice it to say he ended up taking on ten working stallions at once, and the day he quit his job, no work got done at the mine. I picked him up on the way out of town, just barely managed to talk him out of simply walking to the end of Equestria." They were all silent when Fighting Might came back to resume his seat at the table, just as the waiter came back with their drinks.

Twilight glanced over to Astrum now, continuing her questioning. "So Astrum, I know that Terra is a guardian of Earth, what about you?" Astrum sipped for a moment on his drink before replying.

"I am a keeper of the heavens and stars, as well as a lookout across all other worlds. The conscious spirits in all constellations are my subjects, and as such I am also a keeper of ancient knowledge of ours and all other worlds." Twilight turned to Magic Mind, who began talking without a prompt.

"I've been his student for about a year. My Cutie Mark is nothing but a magical aura, and there's a reason for that." Twilight raised an eyebrow curiously. "I can replicate any spell after seeing it a single time, as well as modify any spell for my own uses. At the age of four, I was already able to raise and lower the sun and moon, if you'll recall back then." Celestia and Luna both rolled their eyes, and Twilight scratched through her memory to recall a very strange solar eclipse about sixteen years back.

"Wait, that was you?" He nodded proudly, tipping his drink halfway back and taking a large gulp before resuming.

"Not only that, but I've learned quite a bit from hanging out with Astrum and all those constellations for a year solid now. For example, I met a man by the name of Orpheus in the stars, and he taught me an entirely new variety of magic." Twilight raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued.

"Really? Can we see?" He grinned confidently.

"Sure, but I'll need a volunteer." As Celestia placed her drink back on the table, a slight blush in her cheeks from the alcohol's effects, she spoke up.

"I'll give it a try." He glanced back and forth across the table, then nodded.

"Alright then. Come with me, Princess." He stepped up from the table, coming to the middle of the floor. Celestia followed closely, eying him as a trio of violins suddenly floated off of the stage and into the air just above them. "Now, this is known as Orpheonic Music. You needn't do a thing, the music will handle it." He turned back toward the table, looking at Astrum. "What song should I use?" Astrum thought for a moment, glancing back and forth between his sister and his student.

"Try that _Danse Macabre_ you learned last month." Magic Mind nodded, cleared his throat, and suddenly the violins sprung to life with a sprightly tune. Celestia seemed practically pulled forward as the violins' tunes split into multiple tracks, backing one another up.

Meanwhile, Magic Mind and Celestia twirled around the room, brushing next to a table or chair every once in a while and attracting the attention of everypony in the building. At each high note, Magic Mind lifted Celestia briefly into the air, and at every one of the many trio melodies, he would give her a wide spin so as to create a fluid motion.

The tension of the song began to build, and suddenly they stopped in the middle of the room, circling one another slowly. As the song began to quiet and grow louder in succession, Magic Mind increased or decreased the speed of their spinning according to the respective volume of the song, creating a effect not unlike slow motion.

Soon the song's pace jumped once again, and Magic Mind lifted Celestia up, spinning her about with the now downward effect of the notes, letting her hooves just touch the ground at the end of each string of notes.

The notes began to take on a chaotic effect, and to match it the pair leapt onto an empty table, their hooves now a blur of motion to match that of their upper bodies. They spun about the table as a duo, intertwining like dual tornadoes. Finally Celestia threw one hoof into the air, and as the final notes of the song sounded, Magic Mind dipped her so that the very tips of her long mane brushed the tiles of the floor.

The violins resumed their places on the stage and Magic Mind hopped off of the table with Celestia in tow, smirking smugly. Everypony at the table with the exception of Astrum was gaping wide-eyed between him and Celestia, who simply continued glancing between him and the table she had just been occupying. Twilight was silent for a few moments while she nursed her glass of cider, before finally bursting out with her thoughts.

"That was insane." They all nodded in consensus. "I mean...I knew there were powerful unicorns...I've even fought King Sombra...but still...I've studied magic for almost seventeen years and I'm nowhere even..." Magic Mind shook his head, his confident smirk changing into something a bit more kind.

"Don't blame yourself. Trust me, it's not just you. Most of the time, even Astrum can barely keep up with me. And you've obviously got something going for you. I mean, hey, you're already an Alicorn. Look at me, still just a regular old unicorn." Twilight continued on her cider, barely listening to the conversation for most of the remaining day until they all headed back to Canterlot Castle.

 **Well, there's the second chapter. Not much to say here, but all observations are welcome, as is all the feedback you guys have to offer. If you want to hear the song I used as inspiration for Magic Mind's and Celestia's dance scene, here's a link for your faces.** watch?v=YyknBTm_YyM **I don't own it, and it belongs to its respective owners.**

 **Anyway, leave a review, I'm OfficialBacon, and I'll see you in the next one.**


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